I remember fondly being back in culinary school and buying my first set of knives. I was told by some co-workers to go with Wusthof
When I look back now, I have to laugh. There are so many types of knives, and some of them can range in the several hundreds of dollars. I’ve been a chef for 13 years, and I have owned the same knife set. I’m pretty proud of that fact, as these knives are still ravor sharp. The thing is that it’s not how expensive your knives are, it’s how you use them and take care of them. I wanted to do a review of 3 different brands of knives and let you make the decision about which kind to get. You don’t need a lot of money if you are looking for something basic, but effective. I was a young, cocky chef, and of course wanted to show off. I would have probably changed my mind if I knew what I know now!
I am going to review the basic chefs knife of each brand I want to showcase.
1. Victorinox 10-Inch Chef’s Knife
Price: $49.95
Description: Victorinox is the way to go if you are looking for a reasonably priced knife that is easy to keep sharp. It is well balanced to make chopping easy. Most of the kitchens I have worked in are stocked well with Victorinox knives as they are inexpensive. They will dull quicker than other more expensive knives, but are easier to sharpen with a steel.
2. Wusthof Classic 10-Inch Cook’s Knife
Price: $149.95
This knife is definitely a step up from the Victorinox. This knife is made of German carbon fibre stainless steel. The edge will last longer than that of the less expensive chef’s knives, but once this knife dulls, I do find it hard to get the edge back. It is easier to sharpen with a diamond steel, or stone and oil. A regular steel seems to have a harder time getting an edge on these knives. this is the brand of knife that I own, and I’ve had it for a long time. This is a great knife to people who are in the culinary industry. It is well balanced and can handle slicing, chopping and dicing.
3. Global G-16 – 10 inch Chef’s Knife
Price: $120
Description: Global knives are thinner, lighter knives that are similar to a Japanese knife. This blade is made of molybdenum/vanadium stainless steel. This knife is pretty easy to sharpen and doesn’t dull too quickly. It’s slightly cheaper than the Wusthof knives, but still a knife at a premium cost. These knives aren’t weighted necessarily the way I like, but to each their own! I prefer the heavier chef’s knives like Wusthof and Henkel, but a lot of people swear by these knives.
After this you can really get crazy expensive. Some of these folded steel Japanese knives can go for several hundred dollars. they are definitely the sharpest knives I have ever used, but I just couldn’t justify the price. Shun is a good example of a heaper version of this type of knife.
I also don’t carry too many knives in my knife bag either. All you really need is the following:
- A chef’s knife (8″ or 10″)
- A boning knife (6″ or 8″)
- Bread knife (10″)
- Paring knife (5″)
After that if you want to show off, then be my guest! I hope this has been informative for you on what kind of knifes to purchase for your kitchen.
